Shepard Tone
An endless musical staircase. The tone rises forever — and never arrives.
What is a Shepard tone?
8 sine waves, spaced one octave apart, all gliding upward together. As the highest fades to silence, a new tone fades in at the bottom — seamlessly. Your brain hears only the loud middle tones, which are always ascending. The staircase has no top floor.
Discovered by Roger Shepard (1964). Use headphones.
8 sine waves, spaced one octave apart, all gliding upward together. As the highest fades to silence, a new tone fades in at the bottom — seamlessly. Your brain hears only the loud middle tones, which are always ascending. The staircase has no top floor.
Discovered by Roger Shepard (1964). Use headphones.